Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities

Planning: Floods

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what steps he is taking to help ensure that new planning developments must focus on surface water flooding prevention.

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what steps he is taking to help ensure that Local Plans account for flooding risk when prioritising land use.

Stuart Andrew: The National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) was amended in July 2021 to make clear all sources of flood risk, including surface water, should be considered, to ensure that any new development is safe for its lifetime without increasing the risk of flooding elsewhere.The NPPF prioritises the use of Sustainable Drainage Systems (SuDS) for all development in areas at risk of flooding. The Framework is also clear that SuDS should be incorporated in all major developments, unless there is clear evidence that this would be inappropriate.Local Plans should be informed by a Strategic Flood Risk Assessment (SFRA), which should take account of climate change in levels of flood risk by applying guidance provided by the Environment Agency. The SFRA should inform the strategic identification of land for development in the Local Plan.In October 2021 the Government commenced a review of the case for implementing Schedule 3 to the Flood and Water Management Act 2010 concerning SuDS. This will look at the benefits and impacts of implementation as well as alternative methods for ensuring that SuDS are incorporated in future developments. The review is expected to conclude August 2022.Furthermore, as part of our wider ambitions for an improved planning system we intend to review the NPPF to ensure that it contributes to climate change mitigation and adaption as fully as possible.

Department for Work and Pensions

Restart Scheme: Per Capita Costs

Alison McGovern: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate she has made of the cost per participant of the Restart Scheme.

Mims Davies: The original estimate of the average cost per participant on the Restart Scheme is approximately £2,000.

Department of Health and Social Care

Clinical Trials: Females

Chris Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many women have been enrolled in (a) cancer, (b) stroke and (c) dementia clinical trials in each year since 2017.

Maria Caulfield: Clinical trials are funded by a range of public, charity and commercial organisations, including by the Department, via the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR). Information on the sex of patients enrolled in NIHR-funded clinical trials is not currently collected centrally. However, the forthcoming Women’s Health Strategy aims to ensure that data collected through research improves women’s health outcomes.

National Institute for Health Research: Finance

Martyn Day: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will increase the annual budget of the National Institute for Health Research.

Maria Caulfield: The Spending Review 2021 provides £5 billion for health-related research and development, with an increase of £605 million by 2024/25. This is shared between the National Institute for Health and Research (NIHR), Genomics England and the Office for Life Sciences. Planning for this funding is ongoing and budgets will be adjusted over the Spending Review period to meet priorities as they arise. However, the current allocation provides an increase in the NIHR’s budget of more than 40% by 2024/25.

NHS: Research

Martyn Day: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department plans to increase NHS staff’s access to protected time for research.

Maria Caulfield: The National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) has prioritised engagement with the National Health Service workforce to support greater opportunities for research and deliver clinical research in the United Kingdom. ‘The Future of UK Clinical Research Delivery’ published in March 2021 commits to create a positive culture for research in the NHS and develop a sustainable and supported research workforce, offering rewarding opportunities and careers for healthcare and research staff of all professional backgrounds.

Sickle Cell Diseases: Health Services

Marsha De Cordova: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of inequalities in health outcomes for sickle cell disease in (a) mothers and (b) ethnic minority communities; and what steps his Department is taking to improve outcomes for those groups.

Marsha De Cordova: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the Answer of 31 January 2022 to Question 111706 on Health: Disadvantaged, what plans he has to steps to help tackle potential inequalities in sickle cell care and treatment.

Maria Caulfield: No specific assessment has been made. However, the Department is considering the recommendations made in the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Sickle Cell and Thalassemia’s report ‘No One’s Listening’. We will work with relevant organisations to develop measures to improve the quality of care for sickle cell patients. The forthcoming white paper on improving the nation’s health and reducing health disparities in England will address any inequalities in the care and treatment of sickle cell disease.